Improved horse hay-fork



' ticiently full and exact description thereof to enable accompanyingdrawings which form part of this speei` hold the load, which isdischarged by their being rebination of paris for supporting andoperating'them.

. the hay, and which it assumes in discharging a load.

toward the center, so thatV the' hay shall be comand a much largerquantity thus be adaptedto be lari-angeli, when turned up, to retain theload, as rep- ,stent '@llllm J. M. MCDONAIJD, 0F McCOYSVILLE,PENNSYLVANIA.

. Letters 'Patent No. 100,650, dated llIm'c/L 8, 1870.

`IMIIPRQ'VIElID HORSE HAY-FORK.

The Schedule referred toin theseLetters Patent and making 'Dart of the4same.

1o`all whom t may concer-a5 I l Be it known that LJ. M. MCDONALD, ofMcGoys- .ville,.i n the county of Juniata, and State of Pennsyl` vania,have invented a vnew and' useful Improvement m Horse'Hay-Forks; and thatthev following is a sufone skilled in 'the artto which -my inventionappertnins to carry itl into eiect, reference being hadto the fication.l

My vimproved forklis pf that'class in which the means forengagement-with the loadA consists of a plnrality.. ofstraightwperpendicular prongs, having points adaptedto readily enter thehay, and tov be turned up, when introduced 'to the. desired extent, to

leased.`

My invention consists inI an improved construction and arrangement ofthe prongs, and ina n-ovel com- In the drawings-f Figure 1 represents aperspective view of my im-v proved fork in the pbsition in which it isforced intov lFigure 2 is a sectional elevation of the same in theposition in .which it is locked to retain a load.

' Similar letters of reference, indicate like parts in the two iigures.

A A represent a'pair 'ofheads of suitable form and material(preferablysimilar in both respects) to support the desired number andnature of prongs. vB B B B' B B represent stems, depending from theheads A. and A', respectively, the latter passing through the head Apreferably inside ofthe others.

O O0 represent points, which are substantially of the form represented,being constructed-with inclined cutting-edges, c, on the innersides,andvattached to vthestems B. Bby'hinge joints ot' suitableform toadapt them to beheld in the two positions shown.

The points G and stems B B c'onstitutethe prongs of the fork, which arepreferably threein number-,as shown, being arranged relatively toeachother, as represented, ,with the cutting-edges c of" the points pressedbetween them in the act of entering the fork,

held, the flatoutward-projecting supports provided by the pointsconstructed of Ithe, form shown, and thus resented in fig. 2, servingfurther to secure this; saide arrangement serving further to center thefork, and retain it in an' upright position while it is being entered. lA

D represents a standard, projecting centrally from the head A, for theattachmeutof the hoisting-rope,

the head A being provided with l a suitable orifice for its reception,and sliding looselyon it to permit or .impart the movements of thepoints.

. E represents a case, formed'on or attached to the head A' in a radialposition, and4 adapted for thereception of a spring latch, by which tolock the points through their connections in ltheir two positions.

-F represents .the latch, which may be of any snit- H, a, lever,suitably applied to withdraw it from said socketsd d. I

I represents a projection, provided on the head A', for theattachment'of the lever H.

K represents a projection, provided on the lever ll,

to form a stop to limit .its movement.

L represents the hoisting-rope; M, the trip-cord; and

Z on., rings (for which any equivalent provision may be substituted)applied to the standard D and lever H for their attachment.

vThe precise form' and proportionsof the severa-L parts will varyaccording to the material of which they are composed, the taste of themanufacturer, 85e. I preferably construct the head A with the stand, ardD, and the head A with its latch -ease E and projection I, of cast-iron,the pointsC of steel, the Stems B B', lever H, bolt or latch F, vtherings l m, and the pntles ofthe several hinge-joints, of wrought iron orsteel, and the spring G of steel wire.

`The operationof the fork is as follows: 'lhe parts 'being in theposition represented in iig. 1, with the latch F4 in the socket d, theprongs BB' (J B B C are simultaneously forced into the hay by.. pressingon the head A, the edges c of the points cutting a passage for them. Ontheir insertion to a properv depth, the latch F is retracted by means ofthe lever H,'a'nd.the head A is forced down, actuating through itsstemsB the points, and forcing them into the position represented iniig. '2, when the latch F is vforced bythe vspring G into the Vsocketel' ofthe stand-.

- veyed to the desired location, when the trip-cord Mis drawn on and.through the'leverjH, thel latch F retracted, thus discounectin g thehead A from the standard D, allowing the load, by its weight on thepoints C, to return vthem tothe position represented in iig. 2, and slipcti'.

The fork mayhnve any preferred number of prongs more than two.

The combination of devices forY supporting and op momo spring catch Fd', all constructed and adapted to op- ?rae substantially as and for thepurposes herein set ort i.

lo the above specification of my improvement in horse hay-forks 1 havesigned my hand this 22d day of J une, 1869.

J. M. MCDONALD.

Witnesses J OHN N. KENNEDY, D. B. CRAWFORD.

